Plaza de San Marcos in Venice
The Plaza de San Marcos is located in the heart of Venice. It measures 180 meters long by 70 meters wide and is the only one piazza in Venice, since it is Piazzale rest or fields.
Its construction began in the ninth century by adopting the current size and shape in 1177, 100 years after being paved.
The Plaza de San Marcos is one of the most beautiful places in the world, Napoleon Bonaparte was defined as “the most beautiful room of Europe.”
The square is the lowest place in Venice so that, when there are “aqua high” is the first in flood. When this happens, the authorities placed gateways for transit of citizens and visitors. Depending on the time and, if we’re lucky (or unlucky, depends for whom), we see the square filled with water.
Points of Interest
The most important buildings of the square are St. Mark’s Basilica, Ducal Palace, Museo Correr, the Campanile (the bell tower of the basilica) and the Torre dell’Orologio.
The Ducal Palace (Palazzo Ducale)
The Ducal Palace of Venice
The Basilica and Plaza de San Marcos, represent one of the most famous and photographed landscapes in the world, perhaps due in part to their great harmony and beautiful architecture.
For centuries, the Ducal Palace served three functions of vital importance in the political and social life of Venice. The place was used as a residence for the Duke, as the seat of city government and a courthouse. Precisely this was where the most important decisions that set the fate of Venice and Europe were taken by the most influential figures from different periods.
In fact, when the palace was built, had a design similar to a castle with towers and strong walls, as the location of a focal point for access to the sea. However, under time passed, and due to some accidents involving fires, the building was rebuilt and remodeled to what we know today.
Currently, the Ducal Palace is a museum open to the public that shows a variety of exhibits of great historical interest. Enter the palace is a good experience even for those who are not interested in history, as the grand design of the interiors of the palace more than a wonder.
The Bridge of Sighs
The visit also will cross the famous Bridge of Sighs that was built in Baroque style in the seventeenth century, gives access to the dungeons of the palace. The name of the bridge is given as the path that followed the death row because, from their windows, were last seen on the Laguna Veneta.
Curiously, in the Ducal Palace is also the Bocca di Leone, a kind of mailbox with lion face where once could expose the illegal practices of citizens.